Connect Application Development Tools

SQL*Plus and SQL Developer and other client tools are installed with Oracle Database. SQL*Plus is a command line tool for transmitting SQL and PL/SQL to the database. SQL Developer is a graphical development environment for SQL and PL/SQL.

You can use the Data Mining PL/SQL API in either SQL*Plus or SQL Developer. Within SQL Developer you can use both the Data Miner graphical tool and the Data Mining PL/SQL API. For information about the PL/SQL API, see Oracle Data Mining User's Guide.

If you have installed Oracle Database locally on your PC, you can follow these steps to start SQL*Plus or SQL Developer:

From the Windows Start menu, select Oracle – OraDb11g_homen.

Note:

If there are n database installations, they will appear as Oracle – OraDb11g_home1, Oracle – OraDb11g_home2, ...... Oracle – OraDb11g_homen in the Start menu.

Each of these refers to a separate ORACLE_HOME. Be sure to select the appropriate one.

Choose Application Development.

Choose the name of the application.

Connect SQL*Plus

When SQL*Plus starts up it is already connected to the local database. Enter the name of a user ID that has data mining privileges, as described in Chapter 4. You will be prompted to enter the password.

Connect SQL Developer

The first time you run SQL Developer, you may be prompted to provide the path to the Java executable. If so, specify the full path of jdk\bin\java.exe under the Oracle home directory for the database. For the installation described in Chapter 2, the path would be:

Oracle Client and Oracle Net

To connect to an Oracle Database, a client application must identify the database and present appropriate credentials. The connection mechanism depends on the type of client and whether it is running locally or remotely. Some connections require the installation of Oracle Client software.

There are several methods for specifying login credentials. For example, a client may present login credentials at the time of the connection, as shown below. The system will prompt for a password and establish a connection.

SQL>CONNECT username @ "hostname[:port][/databasename]"

You may also identify a connection with a predefined Net Service Name.

Oracle Spreadsheet Add–In for Predictive Analytics, whether running locally or remotely, requires the installation of Oracle Client and the creation of a Net Service Name.

On the Select Product Languages page, select the language for the Oracle Client user interface.

Click Next.

On the Specify Install Location page, provide the path of the Base directory in which you installed Oracle Database. (See "Install Oracle Database" step 8.)

The Installer provides a Software Location under Oracle Base. This will be the home directory of the Oracle client that you are installing (Oracle home). If this directory does not exist, the Installer will create it. If the directory does exist, make sure that it is empty.

Oracle Net Configuration Assistant determines that Oracle Client can use the Easy Connect naming method, as described in "Oracle Client and Oracle Net". A Net Service Name is not needed. Simply click Next.

Click the Password Management button at the bottom of the page to unlock any schemas that you plan. If you wish, you can also reset the system passwords. If you will use the Oracle Data Mining sample programs and you did not unlock the SH schema when you installed the database, you should do so now. (See "Install Oracle Database".)

If there are n installations of Oracle Client, they will appear as Oracle – OraClient11g_home1, Oracle – OraClient11g_home2, .... Oracle – OraClient11g_homen in the Start menu. Be sure to select the appropriate one.

Oracle Net Configuration Assistant reports that the connection configuration was successful. When you click Next, you are returned to the Welcome page, where you have the opportunity to perform additional configuration.

Click Finish to exit Oracle Net Configuration Assistant.

Connect the Spreadsheet Add–In

Oracle Spreadsheet Add–In for Predictive Analytics implements predictive analytics ("one–click" data mining) within Microsoft Excel. You can use the Spreadsheet Add–In to analyze data stored in Excel or in Oracle and to import/export data mining models to/from Oracle Database. Whether the data is stored in Excel or in the database, the Spreadsheet Add–In requires a database connection.

The Spreadsheet Add–In requires Oracle Client. It uses a Net Service Name to connect to the database. Even if the database is local, Oracle Client and a Net Service Name are required.